Bovine tuberculosis rates in one of England’s main badger cull areas shot up by 130 per cent last year and are higher than when culls began, it has been revealed – just hours before the government is due to announce an expansion of the cull.

Experts including vets and former government advisers called for the planned cull widening to be cancelled, warning that announcing it while Parliament was prorogued could be illegal.

Last year’s increase in TB rates demonstrated a “disastrous failure” of the policy of shooting badgers dead in an effort to tackle the disease in cattle, they said.

And in an urgent eleventh-hour plea, they also wrote to the government’s chief veterinary officer, Christine Middlemiss, saying she has “a responsibility” to intervene.

Plans to expand the badger cull were based on outdated information – from 2017 – but the new, 2018 statistics should be taken into account, said Iain McGill, a former government agriculture scientist.

Opponents of the cull claim up to 50,000 badgers could be killed this year if the expansion goes ahead – nearly double the number last year.

Official data obtained under Freedom of Information laws showed confirmed incidents of bovine TB in the Gloucestershire culling zone went up by 130 per cent over 2017, from 10 to 23.

• Badger cull may actually make TB spread worse, scientists warn

Since pilots of culling began in Gloucestershire in 2013, the badger population in the area has dropped sharply, so the increased TB outbreaks suggest the government is focusing on the wrong issue, Dr McGill told The Independent. He believes culling should be replaced by changes to cattle testing, and cattle vaccination and treatment.

The experts wrote to Tony Juniper, the head of Natural England, which issues licences, that up to a quarter – 9,000 – of badgers shot are likely to have suffered “immense pain”.

Dr McGill, the lead signatory of the letter to Natural England, said: “After all this brutality, TB in cattle is actually worse. Badger culling has been a disastrous failure.

“The public will be flabbergasted by these figures because the vast majority don’t support culling in view of the extremely strong scientific evidence that it hasn’t worked.

 

“I think what’s going on is a scientific fraud.”

• Badger cull ‘less important than farming improvements to control TB’

When he later asked for figures on TB prevalence – a more powerful indicator – officials at the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) refused to give it, citing public interest, Dr McGill said.

“They are trying to force through this badger cull before a full analysis of available data precisely because they know how bad the science looks for this cataclysmic policy.

“There is a huge sense of urgency here – Mr Juniper and Christine Middlemiss need to come before Parliament and the nation to make a statement on this policy before Parliament is prorogued.

• Badger cull ‘less important than farming improvements to control TB’

“For the cull to be announced this year with no parliamentary scrutiny would be unconstitutional and possibly illegal.”

Dominic Dyer, chief executive of the Badger Trust, has also called for the “largest destruction of a protected species” to be cancelled while Parliament is not sitting.

“By the time it returns most of the badgers will have been killed,” he said.

Prof Ranald Munro, the former chairman of an independent expert group appointed by the government to assess the trials, has warned the policy is causing “huge suffering”.

A Defra spokesperson said: “Bovine TB remains one of the greatest animal health threats to the UK, causing devastation for hard-working farmers and rural communities.

“There is no single measure that will provide an easy answer to beating the disease. That is why we are pursuing a range of interventions to eradicate the disease by 2038, including tighter cattle movement controls, regular testing and vaccinations.”

The government says it is considering a report of a TB strategy review led by Sir Charles Godfray, which includes badger vaccination, and will publish its response later this year.

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/tb-cows-cattle-badger-cull-gloucestershire-prorogue-vets-a9098366.html

 

Hero Brian May:

 

… and here is my live exports campaigner friend Trudi (centre) pictured with Brian May ……………..

 

https://www.save-me.org.uk/about/press-release/277-brian-may-founder-of-the-save-me-trust-calls-on-the-government-to-halt-the-badger-cull-and-confirms-legal-action 

 

 

WAV Comment – Every time we do a food shop, some of our costs are donated to BOSF – it is an organisation that is part of us.  Please help if you can to save these magnificent animals and their habitat from the fires of the forests.  Thanks – Mark

 

Fires have once again ravaged Central Kalimantan’s peat forests, including the working area of the BOS Foundation’s Mawas Conservation Program in Kapuas District. Recent forest fires have scorched the Mawas area in the vicinity of Tuanan and Sei Mantangai – near Danau Teloh area.

Fire first struck the Daha River Basin, near the Tuanan Research Station, on 2 September 2019. The Mawas team received vital information about the fire from the team at Tuanan and the firefighting team from Mangkutub village. It is speculated that the fire started in a local villager-owned field and spread from there to the Tuanan Research Camp area, specifically to the southern area of the Daha River, about 250 meters from the South Transect.

Significant measures were previously put in place to help prevent fires and expedite rapid response to forest fire outbreaks in this area. However, the challenges forest fires present are often overwhelming, and the minimal infrastructure and limited access to the hotspots makes fighting them incredibly difficult. Unfortunately, a long dry season and insufficient water sources have led to extensive areas of forest being lost to fire.

The team on location has already reported the situation to the relevant authorities, including the Government Fire Brigade, the Protection Forest Management Unit (KPHL), the police, and the military. But, due to the widespread occurrence of forest fires across Indonesia at present, support has yet to come from these agencies, as their personnel are currently mobilized in other areas.

Over the last four days, the Mawas firefighters and the Tuanan camp research team have been fighting fires by isolating the burned areas and drilling new wells to help douse the surrounding grounds. Our Mawas team and the firefighting team from Mangkutub village worked hand-in-hand to drill the ground and successfully completed digging six new wells in the area. The team then used water siphoned from the wells to stop the flames from spreading.

https://orangutan.or.id/mawas-under-threat-again/ 

 

Forest fires are raging near the Tuanan Research Camp, putting orangutans, other wildlife, and humans in imminent danger!

The centre of this recent fire outbreak is located in the Mawas Conservation Area in Central Kalimantan, home to thousands of plant and animal species, including around 2,550 wild orangutans.
The Mawas firefighting and research teams are working tirelessly to contain the fire, by isolating scorched areas and drilling new wells to help douse the surrounding grounds.

Read more about the current threat of fires in this area.

We are heartbroken by what is happening right now – and you might feel powerless, Mark. But, there is way you can help!

Donate to support our teams that are right now battling these fires, and help us build the technical capacity to protect these forests in the future.

 

Donate Now

Your help is urgently needed – please support our emergency forest fire appeal today.

Thank you so much for your support during this emergency!

 

Dr. Jamartin Sihite 
CEO of BOS Foundation

https://orangutan.or.id/